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Priest tactics
= Introduction = '' Temporary content for now, taken from the good work on the original priest page. I've moved it here to try to keep the initial class pages all consistent with the same layout and base content - plus it kinda seems suitable anyway :) Still need to create a template of some sort for these class tactics pages before working too much on the individual class contents. -- Goldark 05:14, 22 Nov 2004 (EST) '' '' There should probably be tactics based on level ranges or what spells are usable. Tactics change as abilities change. Also, there needs to be a distinction between soloing and group tactics. Did a little re-organizing and expanding. -- Fandyllic 08:45 AM, 1 Feb 2005 (PDT) '' '' Been playing a priest a lot (only up until level 31 yet), lots of insight to be added, will add more when I have time -- archangelq 12:25, 09 Feb 2005 (PST) '' = Playing a Priest = Low level Priests tend to be a cross between a warlock and a mage. They have a slightly worse time in melee, starting with maces rather than staves, and not getting the minion of the Warlock at level 4. DPS for all three class's spells tends to be about the same, the priest coming in just slightly lower, but mana efficiency being a bit better overall. As Priests progress, they become the kings of group healing, with enough mana to go around, instant cast DoTs that are very mana efficient, and potentially the best healing in the game. They are able to be soloed, though their style requires more tactics and finesse than even the other caster classes. While they are never able to do the burst DPS of a mage, if the fight lasts into the 15-20 second range, they tend to catch up with mages for total damage delivered. Priests are one of the harder classes to play because of the level of tactical thinking required in order not just to group, but to solo. Most classes need a lot of thought when in a group, but the priest requires near the same level of attention at all times. General tactics Weapon Choice Priests start with the ability to use maces and wands. They can train in staves and daggers for each, at the right weapon trainer. Wands can be used in addition to any melee weapon and are very nice to have as a ranged attack that doesn't use mana. Get a wand and use it (Shoot ability in your General tab of your Spells and Abilities window) as soon as possible. Great for taking out near-dead opponents who are running away or for use as a main weapon later on, when wand DPS is generally higher than any weapon DPS (the weapons are more useful for the bonuses they give). Key Spells Priests are most known for their healing spells which are the best of any class, and buffs which have good synergy with their role of healing. They also get Resurrection very early (level 10) and have a few spells to remove bad effects (aka dispels) like diseases and magic effects. Priests also get some crowd control spells, but they mostly involve managing aggro (or hate) with no significant snares except the highly situational Shackle Undead. At higher levels, Priests get some very cool and unique spells. For instance, Mind Control, which is granted at level 30, is a very fun spell that lets you 'charm' an enemy and use their abilities. As a priest you also gain access to group heals. Our most iconistic skill however is Power Word: Shield, which envelopes a party member in shield that protects them for a time (or for a specified number of points of damage, whichever comes first). Combat 1-10 Smite and Shadow Word: Pain are generally all you need to take out mobs, with melee to fill in the gaps. These levels should fly by. 10-25 While soloing, Shadow Word: Pain and Mind Blast tend to be the spells of choice. If you plan to solo much past level 10, it's adviseable to start picking talents from the Shadow talent tree, namely Spirit Tap for 5 levels, then Improved Shadow Word pain and three points in any of the other talents available at that level (many players lean toward Shadow Focus, but if you are planning to group, go with Shadow Affinity to make your SW:P lower threat). Finally, round off with Mind Flay at level 20. This spell is very useful for getting the most out of SW:P and Mind Blast. Pull with a Mind Blast, back up while dropping a SW:P, and then Mind Flay. By the time they get into melee range, your Mind Blast should be nearly ready for another shot, with three free ticks of SW:P and nearly the same damage from Mind Flay, all without them doing any melee damage. Once in melee, either fire a Wand (if you have one better than your melee weapon) or melee once against the mob, drop the Mind Blast, and drop a Renew on yourself, and you can melee the rest of most fights. The Renew will keep you at near full health, is instant, and is heal over time, so you will start regaining mana even before the fight is over. 25-35 This is the time to start doing more and more Elite quests and groups. Focus on using Heal, Flash Heal, Renew and Power Word: Shield midway through the fight, and dropping SW:P at the beginning of the fight. Use your wand when you can, but don't let it stop you from healing. You aren't a complete healbot, and if you have a runner, feel free to nuke or Mind Flay it, if healing isn't as important. Do not, I repeat DO NOT use Mind Blast in groups with a designated tank, and only pull when it's you and other caster classes in a party. Priests are tougher than any other caster class (though by no means a Warlock's minions), thanks to Inner Fire. While soloing, not much new, except you get to start making better use out of racial bonus spells. For Undead that means Devouring Plague, which is great for areas with slightly higher level mobs in among ones you can more easily solo, and for areas where adds are more common. A great extra DoT, with the added bonus of being a second Renew while it's working. Please add more info on the uses of other Racial spells. General Tips At lower levels, the basic combat tactic of a priest is just cast a ranged damage spell (like Smite) just within range of a single mob (beast, humanoid, monster, etc. in PvE) to pull it, either cast another damage spell (or damage over time, like Shadow Word: Pain, if you have it) or immediately raise your Power Word: Shield spell. From then on its either more damage (direct damage spells like Smite or Mind Blast), heal as necessary or melee attack. When you get a wand you can use it to pull instead of a spell and use it to do additional damage at range (or close up if you have a bad melee weapon). As mentioned above, wands are also very good for opponents who run away before they die, since you can keep hitting them at range without using mana in case they draw buddies as they run around. A Priest should always try to have long-term buffs, like Power Word: Fortitude applied before entering combat and on any party members. Also, using the short-term self-buff Inner Fire right before combat is a good idea. Be careful with Mind Blast, since it generates lots of aggro and may inadvertently pull other mobs to the Priest. Soloing against multiple opponents at lower levels, Priests are weak and generally have to hope their shield or heals hold out until they can take down attackers. Running away is never a bad option if you can raise your shield or do a heal over time (like Renew) while moving. In groups, a Priest generally hangs back and provides a shield spell, heals and dispels to primary attacking group members with the occasional offensive assist. Most group members should not expect a Priest to engage in direct combat much, since their primary job should be to keep other members alive and bring them back with resurrect if they die. If you have a wand and your heals and shield are not immediately needed, shooting your wand is a good way to assist doing damage without getting directly involved and saving your mana at the same time, but be wary in case you draw the attention of attackers. Gear Priests can use some weapons and wands, but can only wear cloth armor which makes them fragile in melee combat or against damage in general. The best weapons early on (once you have the needed to train in them) are staves, and they continue to be most levels, as bonuses become more important than weapon DPS. There are some semi-good off-hand items, so you may want to stick with 1-handed weapons, but generally, staff bonuses are better. Usually, Priests should concentrate on getting the best cloth armor possible (within financial reason), since it is their greatest weakness. Getting armor patches from a leatherworker can be a huge boost, as the +x bonus will be larger percentage of your total armor than with other armor types. Despite having weak melee abilities, it is good to have a good weapon for times when you run out of mana, but still have a chance to deal the death blow to an opponent. So don't neglect your weapon. After the mid teens, you'll have better luck finding wands for this use, rather than melee weapons. Tactics in Specific Scenarios There's a few different scenarios you'll want to consider for your priest, and they all play differently. These scenarios include: * Player vs. Environment soloing * Player vs. Environment in groups * Raid Groups In Raid Groups against Onyxia and assorted raid bosses, Priests are healbots. Thats all they do. Anything else risks gaining too much aggro. (does this need a seperate section, or should it be incorporated into the first two?) Seems good as a seperate item to me -- Goldark * Player vs. Player * Battlegrounds (not yet incorporated) '' This is probably covered in PvP anyway -- Goldark'' PvE Tactics soloing At levels 6 through 10... A solo priest is extremely vulnerable but because of its combination of healing, DD, DOT and shielding spells a well played priest can take on three, even four mobs of the same level. Against a single mob you should begin just at the edge of the range of Smite. Begin with a Smite, effectively giving you an extra attack. Then lay on a Shadow Word: Pain to get some DOT going. You should then be able to get off another Smite or two before the mob reaches you. Then you can either simply beat the mob into submission or use your Power Word: Shield to gain some breathing room to cast another Smite or Lesser Heal if necessary. Against a group of mobs, begin by laying down Shadow Word: Pain on each of them to get DOT going on them all. Then concentrate on one target, preferrably a spellcaster, until its dead. If necessary, cast Shadow Word: Pain on all your targets again. By now you may be in bad shape. Fortunately you've withheld your Power Word: Shield for this moment. Cast it on yourself and while protected use Lesser Heal. Make sure you have enough mana saved up to use both before you cast your shield. If the shield holds long enough, throw in some Smite. The remaining mobs should now be weakened enough by your Shadow Word: Pain that they'll go down easy. Be careful against multiple mobs, since they can wear down your shiled much faster than individuals, so don't be afraid to run, HoT yourself, or use a instant cast heal on yourself (like the Human priest spell, Desperate Prayer). Remember the basics: * DON'T PANIC! * Don't let the fight devolve into a slugfest. If all you're doing is melee attacks something is wrong. * Begin the fight at extreme range and with a long cast time spell. * Keep DOT on all targets at all times. * Save your Power Word: Shield to heal yourself or throw Smite while being attacked. * Know when to run. PvE Tactics in groups Raid Groups PvP Tactics The priest plays a unique role in PvP. He/she is often the first target, but the priest has tools available to avoid being taken out as quickly as many classes. If someone has the time, it'd be great if they could put together a PvP Guide. I may do this if I get a chance, but I'd recommend someone with more experience in high-end group PvP spearhead this. An interesting topic would be how people think the Shadow Priest may fit into large-scale group PvP. Obviously it's not the optimal approach right now, so it'd be best if people don't spend all their time criticizing the role, but approaching it as a possibility and how to make it work. Shadow priests can do well in 1v1 pvp, as well, so let's give that some talk as well. I'm thinking we should keep this page primarily as an index for easy-browsing, so if anyone wants to talk about it, let's do it in a page specifically for Shadow Priests. ---- Go to Priests Go to Classes Category:Priests